Gillyweed Brain
by eliselilyflower
Summary: Hogwarts AU. Percy takes the hit of a Bludger for his friend, and Annabeth can't help wishing he would do the same for her. Oneshot.


**This oneshot takes place in Hogwarts, where Annabeth, Percy, Piper, and Jason all play Hogwarts Quidditch. Annabeth and Jason are Ravenclaw Chasers, Piper is a Gryffindor Beater, and Percy is the Gryffindor Seeker. Just thought I'd clear that up. Review and comments are welcome!**

 **Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns the lovely Percy Jackson series characters, J. K. Rowling owns Hogwarts and the Harry Potter universe and characters. I only own the plot.**

 **Enjoy!**

...

Annabeth Chase isn't sure which is worse: playing Quidditch in nose-numbing cold or bone-chilling rain. Luckily for her, she doesn't have to choose because the weather conditions of this particular match entail both lovely circumstances.

(Note the sarcasm.)

Her eyes crinkle as she feebly attempts to blink the rain from her eyes, because it would really be nice if she could somehow spot the Quaffle. Her navy Quidditch robes appear to be more of an inky black and drip more water than Hogwarts's showers on the days they properly function, while the eagle stretched across her chest looks more like a hungry vulture. She is chilled to the bone and nothing sounds better right now than a steaming hot bath and a warm, soft bed, but her best friend and fellow Ravenclaw Chaser Jason is making a valiant effort to win this match and she doesn't intend to let him do it alone.

Annabeth zooms past a figure with vibrant green eyes and her heart sinks. The Seeker for the Ravenclaw team is talented enough, but the owner of those very green eyes happens to be the best Seeker Hogwarts has seen in centuries and plays for the Gryffindor team. Annabeth figures the day Percy Jackson does not catch the Snitch is the day Voldemort decides not to kill people.

(In other words, that day will never come.)

After circling around over the Quidditch pitch enough times to make her head pound, Annabeth spots Jason speeding toward where the Gryffindor Keeper is guarding the tall, sloping hoops. She knows immediately what Jason is doing, since they have discussed this play thousands of times on end, but she also knows that he expects her to be twenty miles below where she is right now in about five seconds and in the present conditions, she's not sure she'll be able to make it there.

She nudges her broom into full speed and allows the biting wind to rip at her robes while trying not to catch the attention of the Gryffindors. The Quaffle speeds toward her exactly when she expects it, but the toss is rough and if the downpour of rain and cheers wasn't so deafening she would hear a small crack issued from her wrist. The rain is pounding tiny circles into her red and irritated skin, so she dismisses the pain as insignificant and heads for the goalposts.

She narrowly dodges a Bludger and hears a dull thump a few seconds later, but she dismisses it the same way she dismissed her now broken wrist.

...

Percy knows he probably looks like an idiot who doesn't know how to fly, but in reality he is just making sure that the Ravenclaw Seeker doesn't catch sight of the Snitch before he does. It doesn't help that pebbles of water are stoning his face so much he is practically blind, so really the only way fight the wind and keep his eyesight somewhat intact is to fly like a bird with no wings.

He feels a rush of wind blow past his red and gold robes and turns his head just in time to lock eyes with a girl whose eyes match the dreary clouds hanging over them. His heart sinks, because those stormy gray eyes belong to the best Chaser Hogwarts has seen in centuries, and Percy figures the day she loses to Gryffindor is the day she agrees to go out to him.

Not that Percy ever thought about that.

He hears a whistling sound as said amazing (or amazingly attractive, whatever) Chaser narrowly dodges a Bludger which is now headed for his best friend, Piper. Sure, she's a Beater, but she doesn't seem to realize that there is a lethal charmed ball heading her way and Percy only has time to think about how much he'll kill himself if she gets hurt before diving down to intercept the Bludger.

When it pounds him straight on the arm and makes his broom spiral off, the first thing he thinks is, _I hope Piper doesn't realize what I just did_.

...

When Annabeth sees the person she has been trying not to think about for the past few minutes of the match falling through the air while struggling to remain on his broom, her first instinct is to immediately dive down after him. Her second instinct is to slap herself for thinking such a ridiculous thought. She needs to stop thinking about that irritatingly attractive Seeker and focus on the match, because she will not let Ravenclaw lose to Gryffindor even for a gorgeou—irritating Seeker.

Yes, irritating.

She sends the Quaffle across the pitch to Reyna and as the wind is harshly whipping her hair into her face she realizes she feels something cold seeping into the bone of her wrist. If Annabeth couldn't see her arm, she would think her hand was a claw of ice because her wrist is impossibly cold, and a web of fluid tingles is spreading through her fingers.

The vision on her right sight is starting to darken and her eyes have a hard time focusing. She closes her eyes, just for a moment, and imagines those pretty green eyes. She's only closing her eyes for one second before opening them to play again, she promises.

Ah, green… so pretty. Percy. Pretty Percy.

Then all goes black.

...

The pain of Percy's arm is weighing him down as he rips through the air, desperately searching for the Snitch. He thinks he's never flown this fast and would normally be enjoying the pace, but he must get to the Snitch or else Gryffindor will lose. He's been injured before and when he sees black spots crawling before his eyes, he knows he only has a minute before he passes out.

Gold blinks at him from the edge of his eyes.

He whips around so fast the harsh wind claws at his face and his head pounds from dizziness. He ignores the ache in his muscles and spurs his broom on faster, so fast that everything except the Snitch is a blur.

He grabs at the Snitch several times before he finally catches it, because all of a sudden he's losing his balance.

He's not sure if he's imagining it, but the last thing he sees is a figure with a stream of golden curls falling toward the ground at an impossible rate.

Gold… like the Snitch. Her hair is like the Snitch.

Then the dancing black spots take over his vision.

...

When Annabeth wakes up in the hospital wing, her hand is pulsing and she can still feel the thrum of rain pounding against her skin. The icy claw on her hand is gone now, but is replaced with a numbing heat that is even more unbearable. She can practically feel the heartbeat in her wrist, which explains why it is pulsing.

She rolls over onto her left side and finds Percy Jackson lying there with a huge white cloth wrapped around his arm. Unfortunately (fortunately, her mind thinks), he's not wearing a shirt so she's forced to look at his bare, firm chest. The tanned skin stretches over hard muscle, and Annabeth feels her cheeks flame up just thinking about it.

Madam Pomfrey is with him now, wrapping up his arm and giving him a disgustingly thick potion with an equally off-putting odor. His green eyes follow the nursing witch as she walks to her office before he finally takes a miniscule sip.

And promptly spits it out.

"You know, you actually have to drink the potion to feel better," Annabeth is amused. "Just holding it won't heal you."

He jumps about a mile just hearing her voice, and when his eyes meet hers, Annabeth's heart beats just a little faster. "You're awake."

"Percy, right?" She acts if she has no idea who the incredibly attractive Quidditch player beside her is—but he doesn't need to know she is pretending.

His lips spread into a small smile. "And you're Annabeth." There is no questioning tone in his voice, and Annabeth has to squelch the urge to kiss the tip of his nose or do something else equally embarrassing.

A memory ignites in the back of her mind and a full-fledged grin takes over her face. "I remember in our first year potions class, Professor Snape asked you what gillyweed is and you told him that it's wizard seaweed."

She laughs at the flush spreading over his chiseled cheekbones as he protests, "I didn't know what it was!"

She snorts. "It's definitely not 'wizard seaweed,' as you so eloquently put it."

Percy scowls. "Well Piper's told me all about you," he informed her.

"Oh really," Annabeth hums. "And what did she say?"

"She says you're a know-it-all wise girl who everyone hates because you get perfect scores on every Arithmancy assignment."

Annabeth laughs.

Madam Pomfrey hurries out of her office to check if Percy is drinking his potion and he quickly takes a large gulp, grimacing as it burns his throat and fills his mouth with a nasty aftertaste.

"Speaking of Piper," Annabeth fondly watches him struggle with the awful potion. "Why did you take the Bludger for her? She's a Beater, I'm sure she could've handled it."

Percy almost knocks the potion out of his hand as his head jerks over to her. "What are you talking about? I didn't take a Bludger for anybody."

Annabeth snorts, pushing herself up in the bed and instantly regretting it when pain shoots up the side of her arm. "Yes, you did. That Bludger was headed for Piper, it was nowhere near you."

Percy drinks half the potion under the withering glare of Madam Pomfrey before responding, "I didn't want her to get hurt."

Annabeth stares at him incredulously, watching his long jawline, ski-jump nose, and those eyes that crinkle with mischief as he talks to Madam Pomfrey. She turns away from him, and Annabeth finally comments on his remark. "You took a Bludger for her because you didn't want her to get hurt? Percy, people get hurt all the time in Quidditch."

Percy gave her a tiny shrug. "I saw it going for her, and I would've killed myself if I let it hit her."

She notices how soft his voice has gotten and realizes with a jealous pang how much Piper must mean to him. What wouldn't she give to mean that much to Percy Jackson?

He pinches his infuriatingly perfect nose as he tries to swallow the rest of the potion, and Annabeth allows herself to smile at his loyalty. "I would've killed you if you'd done that for me."

He grins at her, flashing those perfect teeth at her as his eyes light up. "I'll have to keep that in mind next time I see a Bludger aimed at you, eh?"

Her heart drops at the implication that he would have taken the Bludger for her. Not that he cares about her or anything. He's just trying to be nice, right?

Then someone opens the door and calls into the hospital wing, "Yo, Jackson!"

Percy grins at her before turning over in his bed. "Pipes!" he hollers back. "We're over here."

Piper waves at him before walking over. "We?" she inquires. "Who's—oh hey, Annabeth!" she winks at Percy, who for some reason goes very red. "I think Jason's coming to visit soon."

Percy nudges Piper with his foot at the mention of her boyfriend.

Annabeth smiles. "So, Piper," she says. "Percy was just telling me that you talk a lot about me."

"Do I?" Piper raises her eyebrows at Percy. "I never knew that."

"Apparently you're always raving about my Arithmancy expertise."

Percy snorts sarcastically. "Yeah, that's what I said."

Annabeth shoots him a playful glare, and he winks back.

Piper just laughs. "Oh yeah, I talk about you all the time. I love bragging to people about dumb I am compared to you."

Annabeth smiles—Piper has always been a great person to talk to. "Congrats on winning the match by the way."

"You too—I mean, you guys played well." Piper turned to Percy. "Speaking of the match, why'd you take that Bludger?"

Percy's eyes look ready to pop out of his head. "What?"

Piper rolls her eyes, smoothing out the hair on his forehead affectionately. "You're stupid enough to take a Bludger for someone in danger, but you're definitely not stupid enough to not see it coming. You must have taken it for somebody, so I was asking why you did it."

Annabeth cuts in. "No—actually, he is stupid enough to not see it coming. He's a Gillyweed Brain, haven't you heard?"

Percy tries to glare at her, but a genuine smile takes over his face when she says the nickname. This comment also distracts Piper from the topic on hand. "Gillyweed Brain?" she wonders, laughing lightly.

"In our first year Potions class he made some stupid remarks about gillyweed."

Piper laughs and turns her smile onto Percy. "That sounds like Percy."

Percy shoves her hand away from his hair. "Hey, I didn't know what it was!"

Piper says something to him, but Annabeth is too busy focusing on the adorable pout on his face and the way his eyebrows dip to hear what she was saying.

The hospital wing door bangs open once more to reveal Jason. Piper waves him over.

"Hey guys," Jason addresses them all before taking Annabeth's injured hand and inspecting it carefully. Once he knows the injury isn't life-threatening, he turns to Percy. "Dude, why'd you take that Bludger for Piper? She's a Beater, she can handle it by herself."

Percy and Annabeth both wince.

Piper immediately turns her sharp gaze onto Percy. "You took that Bludger for _me_?!"

Annabeth suppresses a laugh as Percy avoids Piper's harsh gaze.

"You _idiot_!"

"You didn't see it coming," Percy pleads with her, "and I didn't want you to get hurt!"

Piper and Percy start arguing, albeit not too seriously, and Annabeth can't help but watch his dimpled chin and parted lips as he speaks.

Then she realizes Jason is saying her name.

"Annabeth!" he waves his hand in front of her face. "Annabeth?"

Her attention snaps to him. "Yes—what?"

Jason follows her gaze and a smirk crosses his lips as he spots Percy. "Ah."

Annabeth furiously blushes. "Shut up!"

Suddenly, Piper addresses her. "Hey Annabeth, do you have a boyfriend?"

Annabeth frowns curiously in her direction, vaguely noticing that Percy is blushing again. "No, why? Did you want to date me?"

Piper laughs. "Sorry, Jason, but I'm into Annabeth now."

Jason puts a hand over his heart. "I'm wounded."

Piper plants a kiss on his cheek (Percy looks at Annabeth and wrinkles his nose, making her laugh) before taking Jason's wrist and pulling him away. "Well we have to go, see you guys later!" It is now blatantly obvious to Annabeth that Piper is trying to set them up, so as a sort of halfhearted revenge she calls after them, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Jason makes a face at her before closing the door behind him.

Annabeth turns back to Percy, and the fact that he is blushing is practically glaring at her. "Why are you blushing?"

"What?" Percy tries to act nonchalant, but the red on his cheeks is so apparent that Annabeth has to laugh.

"You are totally blushing," she informs him before pausing as she realizes Piper just asked her if she had a boyfriend. "Wait… is it because Piper asked if I have a boyfriend?"

"No!"

"Mmmm, right."

Percy blushes even redder, now resembling a very adorable cherry. "Shut up!"

Annabeth laughs. "Okay."

He groans, sinking down into his bed once more before mumbling, "DoyouwannamaybegotoHogsmeadewithme?"

"What?" she pretends a small smile isn't present on her lips.

He sits up again, rubbing the back of his neck and stuttering, "Do you want to… I mean—it might be, you know, cool if—only if you wanted to… you know, Hogsmeade is…" he trails off.

Annabeth presses her lips together, definitely not thinking about how much she wants to hug him. "Are you trying to ask me out?"

Percy huffs and Annabeth thinks she has never seen a more adorable blushing person in her life. "Do you maybe want to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

Annabeth can't prevent the smile from taking over her face, but she hums thoughtfully, pretending her mind isn't screaming for her to say yes. "Well… I wonder what people might think if the Gryffindor Seeker starts dating Ravenclaw's star Chaser…"

Percy frowns. "That's odd, I don't remember asking Jason out."

Annabeth turns to him sharply and smacks his good arm before she can even register that he's laughing at her. "Be quiet!"

Percy lays his head back on his pillow, still laughing. "Will you?"

Annabeth scowls, still not over the whole Jason-is-the-star-Ravenclaw-Chaser thing. "Gillyweed Brain."

He leans over to pluck one of her curls. "Yeah, but I'm your Gillyweed Brain."

She studies his face carefully, and he patiently watches her study him. "You know that if you say no, I'm just going to take you anyway." He states.

She gently tucks a strand of his hair to the side. "I know."

"So will you say yes?"

She lets out a long, exaggerated fake sigh. "Fine, only since I have to."

He chuckles, taking the hand she was using to play with his hair and lacing his fingers into hers. "Keep telling yourself that."

...

A few minutes later when Madam Pomfrey goes to check up on the two Quidditch players, she finds them sound asleep, holding hands across the space between their beds.

She decides not to bother them.


End file.
